ADVANCE QUESTIONS TO LITHUANIA – ADD.3
BELARUS
The 2010 Joint Study by the Human Rights Council special procedures on global
practices in relation to secret detention in the context of countering terrorism said that
Lithuania was integrated into the secret detention programme. It referred, inter alia, to
reports claiming that Lithuanian officials had provided the CIA with a building where
as many as eight suspected persons were held for more than a year.
In 2009 the President of Lithuania announced that her Government would
investigate allegations that Lithuania had hosted a secret detention facility. The
Lithuanian Parliament opened its investigation into the allegation of the existence of a
CIA secret detention facility on Lithuanian territory. The Study highlighted that
failure to effectively investigate allegations of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment might lead to a situation of grave impunity and foster chronic
recidivism of the human rights violations involved.
What kind of practical steps have been taken by Lithuanian authorities to
conduct thorough, credible and objective investigation of the presence of a secret
detention facility on Lithuanian territory?
Did Lithuanian authorities extend an invitation to the Council’s special
procedures, which were involved in the preparation of the Study, to visit the
country in order to allow them to directly examine the matter or do they intend
to do it in the near future?
Are Lithuanian authorities planning to make the results of their
investigation findings public as well as to brief the Human Rights Council and its
special procedures and when?
In January 2009 national trade union organizations in Lithuania called on
their members to participate in a national protest action. The protesters submitted their
demands to the Government and Parliament to ensure that social and economic
policies carried out are targeted at the most disadvantaged groups of the population.
As no satisfactory response came from the Government, on 16 January 2009 the trade
unions called a general protest action in front of the parliament and government
buildings. The number of protesters varied from 5000 to 7000 people.
Though the protest began as a peaceful demonstration, a group of protesters threw
snowballs, rocks and glass bottles and attempted to break into the parliament building.
According to sources, police officers deployed tear gas and shot rubber bullets against
protesters, including those who were reportedly protesting peacefully.
Did Lithuanian authorities investigate the excessive use of force against the
protesters and how did they respond to demands of the population expressing
discontent over the Government’s failure to address the worsening economic
situation in the country?
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SWEDEN

Sweden would like to ask the Government of Lithuania what measures that
can and will be taken to further strengthen the rights of LGBT persons in
Lithuania. How can the Law on the Protection of Minors against the
Detrimental Effect of Public Information be refined to avoid discrimination of
these persons? Sweden would also like to ask the Government of Lithuania to
elaborate on the status of the proposed amendments to the Code of
Administrative Violations for despising moral values that are to be discussed
in the Parliament during the autumn session.

How does Lithuania plan to improve the human rights situation in the
country’s prisons?

The 2008-2010 Programme of Roma Integration into Lithuanian Society,
which received only limited funding during its implementation period, is now
obsolete. When does the Government of Lithuania plan to present a new, and
solidly financed, programme for the integration of the Roma community?
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